New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-05-04
GREAT BISMARCK AT II oME.

GREAT BISMARCK AT HOME.
His Estate at varzin and HIS Pleas
ant Domestic Life.
Besides his patrimonial estates at
Schenhausen and Kniephof, Bismarck
owns Varzin. purchased in 1866 with
$780, 900 that the Emperor presented
him after the war with Austria, and in
1871 he received from the same source
the estate Of FREDERICKSBURG, which
cost 800, 600. His income from these
properties and other private sources
now exceeds 100000 a year. He
manages his estates himself and does
SO very successfully, being not only a
farmer,#but lumber dealer, brewer,
distiller, saW-mill owner and paper
manufacturer; he is thoroughly posted
in the various processes Of these di-s
verse industries and keeps a sharp
lookout for all improvements and new
inventions relating to them. When in
the country Bismarck takes off his uni-.
form, puts on a thick gray cloth sack
coat, and by 9 o'clock every morning
starts out, followed by his dogs. for a
walk over the estate. Between 10 and
II he returns to the house, and, while
waiting for breakfast, examines the
contents Of the mail bag and answers
the kilograms which may have arrived
during the night. After breakfast he
receives his tenants, overseers and
gamekeepers, and at 2 o'clock goes
out in a carriage or on horseback to
visit some distant part of the property,
rarely getting back until shortly be-
fore his dinner, which is served at $50.
The coffee is served in the billiard
room, where the Prince smokes his
pipe seated in front Of a large wood fire,
and where he remains until servant
announces that tea is ready in the
salon of the Princess. By that time it
is 1920, and before midnight he retires
to his bedroom, where be often lies
awake reading for hours and hours.
AS it is impossible for any one occu-
plying such a position in the world to
escape entirely, even for short time,
from the cares of public life, office
seekers, petitioners, visitors of all sorts.
constantly arriving at Varzin, the
Chancellor resorts to ruses of all sorts
to avoid them. His wife usually inter-
venes to rid him of these visitors. One
day a foreign Ambassador asked Bis.
nlarck at the close of a long converse
tion how he managed to get rid of peo-
pie who bored him. Every easily was
the answer. when my wife thinks
that any one has been with me too
long she sends some one to ask me to
come to her, and of course the visitor
must 60 ~ At that moment the servant
opened the door and said that the
Princess requested the Prince to come
to her at once. When lis duties do
not compel his presence in Berlin, the
Chancellor divides his time between
Varzin and Friedrichsruhe. The man
sion on this latter estate is furnished
very simply; all the walls and ceilings
are white washed, the furniture is
scanty and uncomfortable, and the only
ornaments are portraits of Theirs, Bea-
consfeld and Cardinal Hohenlohe. a
large bronze bust Of Won Moltke, a
bronze statue Of the great Elector, pre-
sented to the Chancellor by the En-
peror, a plaster cast of an equestrian
statue Of Charlemagne, large portrait
of the Emperor William, a few family
portraits and some landscapes repre-
senting views from various portions Of
the estate. The only art for which the
Chancellor has any fondness is music,
not that he is musical himself, but be-
cause it gives him great pleasure to
listen to fine singing and playing. cart
is gay and life is serious is a sentment
he wrote at the bottom of the photo
graph Of himself and Nine. Lucca that
caused so much scandal in Berlin a few
years ago. In spite Of that photo,
graph, all who are in a position to
know declare that the private
life Of Prince Bismarck is ire
proachable. His love for his wife and
children is very deep and is warmly re-
turned, the family being in every re-
spect model Of domestic union and
affection. So fond is he of his home
life that he. never accepts any invita-
tons except those Of the Emperor, and
never goes to the theatre, to balls.
banquets OF other entertainments. He
is, however, fond of entertaining, and
the great chambers at Varzin and
Fredericksburg are always occupied
when he is at those estates. Once a
year he gives a formal entertainments
to the whole male portion Of the Diplo-
maize Germs and also uivas fronuonf